Holder for hog or swine rings



July 18. 19369- c. JOHNSON 2,166,526

` HOLDER FOR HOG OR SWINE RINGS Filed Jan. .5, 1939 s im! ATTORNEY.

Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES HOLDER FOR HOG R SWINE RINGS Coile Johnson, Port William, Ollio Application January 5,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to holders for hog or swine rings. There are several varieties of these rings upon the market, made usually in three sizes for pigs, shoats and hogs, the conventional 5 gauge of wire used being g3g", and their diameters ranging from 11/8 for pigs to 1%" for hogs. The rings on the market vary in design from circular to triangular, and they are open rings, the parted ends being spaced apart and sharpened ready for closing together through the upper corner of the snout of the animals. This operation is done with a special pair of pincers having jaws grooved longitudinally upon their inner sides for engaging and holding a ring in the operation,

Such rings are sold in boxes, and being promiscuously mixed together, become entangled, so that generally, as the operator draws one from the box for use, there will be many other entangled rings drawn out with it, thus causing annoyance and delay. Y

It is a main purpose of the present invention therefore, to provide a holder for such rings whereby they may be kept separate one from another, and supported each in ready position 'for grasping in the jaws of the pincers, and this without the need of the operator touching the ring with his fingers.

Another object is to provide a holder Yof the kind referred to, comprising a flat, circular, boxlike shell, hollow interiorly and made of suitably light and tough material, the periphery of this shell being roughly arched in cross section, and being demarked exteriorly by three circumferentially extended bosses, ribs or shoulders, one at the center or crown of the shell and one at either side thereof and somewhat lower, there being regularly spaced apertures pierced through the wall of the shell in transverse alignment at either side of each of the three shoulders, eachpair of said apertures being adapted to engage the parted and spaced ends of a hog ring for holding the ring in place upon the shell, the rings being thus mounted upon the holder astraddle the shoulders, in three circumferential rows and thus available for immediate use one at a time.

Another object is to provide a flat, hollow shell having a plurality of pairs of spaced apertures arranged around its margins, each pair of apertures being adapted to engage the legs or parted ends of a hog ring for holding the ring in place on the shell, ready for use.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages in view and as will later appear, reference is had to the drawing as showing certain 1939, Serial N0. 249,414

(Cl. 20G-1) preferred structures of the invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional View through a portion of a ring holder constructed in accordance with my invention and shouung a num- .5 ber of rings mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a fragment of the periphery of a circular holder, showing the formation of the three circumferential ribs, bosses or shoulders, with the transversely aligned pairs of ring holding apertures, one at either side thereof.

Figure 3 is a partial side elevation of a holder of circular form, showing a number of rings mounted thereon, and showing a looped cord passedjthrough the center as means for securing the device to the wrist or belt of the operator.

The invention comprises a flat and preferably round shell made of paste board or any suitable material and represented generally at 5, of a size to be conveniently held in the hand, and having preferably an arched or arcuate periphery 6. This periphery is formed with three circumferentially extended ribs 'l-8--9, the rib l running around the crown or center of the shell and the ribs 8 and 9 running around the base of the crown at either side. These ribs or shoulders are formed as here shown with flat outer faces l0 disposed tangentially to the arched formation of the periphery 6. The flat faces of these ribs however,v are bisected circumferentially by the slight ridges I2.

Rows of regularly spaced and transversely aligned apertures l3-l4-I5, pierce the wall of the shell at each side of each of the ribs 1 8-9, making six rows of apertures in all. Thus the transversely aligned apertures at the sidesv of each of the ribs constitute a plurality of pairs, and the apertures of each pair are spaced apart so as to frictionally engage the parted ends or legs I6 extended from the bodies Il of the hog rings represented generally at I8. The ridges I2 are notched or slitted as shown at 20 in alignment with the laterally outlying apertures constituting the ring engaging pairs, so that as the legs or parted ends I6 of the rings frictionally engage the apertures, the bodies l'l of therings will frictionally engage the notches 20, whereby the rings are releasably retained in place upon the shell.

As stated, the pairs of apertures are regularly spaced circumferentially, and this spacing is preferably sufficient to permit the nose of a pair of pincers (not shown) to be applied to the holder for picking oli one of the rings, without disturbing the adjacent rings. In practice therefore, it is found that this spacing should be approximately one-fourth inch. The pairs of apertures l3-I4-l5 as circumferentially spaced around the shell 5, are located in a stepped or alternate relation to each other, as shown in the drawing, thus increasing the ring carrying capacity of the shell orholder, without interfering with the use of pincers for removing the rings, in other Words providing plenty of space between rings for the accommodation of the nose of the pincers.

In the drawing the form of ring shown is triangular in form the legs I6 being turned inward from the straight body portion l1. Hence the faces lll are formed flat as shown so as to square- 1y support the body portions. Also the apertures l3-l4-l5 are elongated transversely as shown to accommodate the sweep of the inturned le'gs I6 as they are inserted in the apertures.

Obviously, for the mounting of other vshapes of rings (not here shown) it might be necessaryA to modify somewhat the cross-sectional form of the ribs 1 -8 9, and also the form of the apertures |3--|4-|5; Such changes or alterations might readily be made within the scope of the invention.

The walls of the shell may be reinforced with bossesV 2| to strengthen the shell as a whole. These bosses may be located upon the side walls as here shown, and may be extended up over the periphery of the shell if desired.

The centers of the sidewalls of the shell are reinforced as shown at 22, and are pierced with holes 23, through which a looped cord 24 is passed for attaching the device to the wrist or belt of the operator.

As stated, the shell may be made of any suitably tough yet yieldable material, such as tough paste board or card board, or of thin, soft sheet iron or tin, so that while the rings will be held firmly in place thereon, they may yet be pulled ofi readily for use. f

It is obvious also that the shell might be of oval or square shape, orany other Ydesirable form, within the scope of the invention.

In the matter of making these shells, any conventional mode of manufacture may be ernployed, as by die stamping the shells in halves and then joining the halves together. Y

In the use of this device, the shell is of course loaded with hog rings in mannerv pointed out; and are packed and sold in this way. The operator hangs a loaded shell from his belt or loops the cord around his wrist, where it hangs suspended, ready for grasping in one hand while the usual pincers are applied to a ring with the other hand for pulling the ring oi of the shell for use.

While I have here shown and described certain structural features of the invention, it is understood that I may vary these structures within the scopeV of the appended claims.

It is obvious that with the construction of hog ring holder here disclosed, absolute protection is afforded those using the rings, against possible scratches, cuts and like injuries that might otherwise be caused by the sharp points of the rings piercing the hands. Moreover the holders themselves cannot get hooked together while in contact with each other as packed for shipment, or while heaped up on counters for sale.

I claim:

l. In a device of the kind described, a at, hollow shell formed with a plurality of circumferentially 'extended and laterally spaced ribs, there being rows of apertures piercing the walls of the shell'along at either side of each rib, the said apertures as to each rib being transversely aligned toprovide spaced pairs of apertures, each pair of apertures being adapted to frictionally engage the spaced legs of a hog ring for mounting such rings on the shell, the said ribs serving as supports for the leg connecting stems of the rings as mounted.

2. In a device of the kind described, a at shell having its periphery or margins arched and formed with three circumferentially extended and laterally spaced ribs, one of the ribs being extended around Vthe center of the periphery and the other two at the base of the arched periphery at either side of the center rib, there being rows of apertures piercing the walls of the shell along at either side of each rib, the said apertures as to each rib being transversely aligned in pairs and adapted to frictionally engage the two spaced legs of hogs rings for mounting the rings on the shell, the said ribs serving to support the leg connecting stems of the rings as mounted.

3. In a structure as dened in claim 2, there being means upon the ribs for maintaining the leg connecting stems of the rings in stable position.

4. In a structure as defined in claim 2, and means for operatively securing the device to the person of the operator.

COILE JOHNSON. 

